Mark stepped on Jack's hand, already getting familiar to the strange ritual of sitting in another man's hand. He sat on his knees and nodded to Jack.
Jack lifted Mark up to his chest and opened up the pocket with his other hand. He sent one last look to Mark before he carefully slid his hand halfway in and dropped Mark into his pocket. His hand retreated. It was really strange, he could feel Mark's tiny weight but when he looked down it was as if he wasn't there at all. There might have been a slight bulge if you looked hard enough, but other than that, Mark was basically undetectable.
"How does it feel?" Jack asked, curious.
Mark put out his hands to steady himself as he tumbled into the soft walls of the pocket. It was dark, with the only light streaming in from above as Jack held the pocket open. Mark tried to gain his footing and stand up to peer over the edge, but that proved impossible as the pocket continued to rise and fall with Jack's chest.
"It's weird." Mark called up, settling down to treat it like a hammock. "But it's kinda cozy." One nice thing that Mark noticed was the fabric walls felt thick, giving the illusion of protection. "If you're really careful, I suppose this could work..."
"Awesome!" He felt Mark shift around, finally settling down. He smiled.
"You ready to head out right now?" Jack asked, staring down at Mark through the opening of the pocket.
Mark nodded, before remembering Jack couldn't see his face. "Yep!" He yelled out, clutching the folds of the pocket as he braced himself.
Jack smiled and let the lip of the pocket close. He then grabbed his wallet and phone before heading outside. As he walked he took out his phone and texted for a cab and headed towards the meetup place. Which would be a bit more down the road. He made sure to keep his strides even, extra cautious with his tiny passenger. He glanced down.
"You doing okay in there?" He asked.
"Mm-hmm." Mark made a fairly quiet noise of agreement, but he wasn't sure Jack had heard him. His stomach was not enjoying how Jack's gigantic steps, making the pocket rock like a ship in the middle of a hurricane. Of course, that only made him think of the ocean. Mark held in a groan, trying not to picture waves and sharks and whatever other horrors lurked in the deep depths.
Jack couldn't hear the small noise Mark had made and stopped walking altogether. He opened up the lip of the pocket once again.
"Is something wrong, or did I just not hear you?" He could never know with these things.
"I'm fine." Mark took the opportunity to get some deep breaths. "It's just a bit overwhelming, but then again what isn't here?" Mark gave a bit of an awkward chuckle.
"Alright, if you're sure. Just don't be afraid to tell me if something's wrong, okay?" Jack started walking again, almost to the location. The cab would be here at anytime now.
"I should probably mention that I'm taking a cab. So, there will be another person in there with me." Jack said, deciding it would be best to tell Mark and not leave it as a surprise.
Mark felt his heart drop to his stomach at the mention of another giant. Of course there were bound to be others like Jack, but Mark couldn't help but feel nervous at the prospect of being surrounded by aliens a hundred times his size. Mark squirmed, beginning to regret his decision to accompany Jack into town. At least Mark still had some time to mentally prepare, and he'd be hidden away in the pocket rather than constantly stared at like some oddity.
Jack felt Mark squirm once he mentioned another 'giant' and Jack placed a hand over the pocket gently. Hoping it would calm him down.
"Don't worry Mark. I won't let anything happen to ya." Jack said with a soft smile. He could see the cab coming in the distance and stopped walking.
Mark felt himself pushed further against Jack's chest, and began to panic before realizing what was happening. It was a strange feeling, but almost like an overwhelming hug from a really enthusiastic friend. Mark smiled at the thought, settling down a bit.
Jack took his hand away as the cab pulled up and Jack climbed into the back. He saw the guy in the front looking at him through the rearview mirror and was suddenly put on edge himself. But he smiled and did his best to act normal.
"Top of the morning to ya." He said and the cabbie nodded at him.
"Where to?" He asked in a gruff voice. Jack winced slightly but played it off.
"Uh, just in the town's shopping district, if ya don't mind." He nodded again and turned on the meter before starting to drive. Jack sat back, trying to relax.
Mark did his best to remain calm as he heard another loud voice overhead. Jack's pocket was doing an excellent job of hiding the outside world from him, as Mark was sure he would have been nothing but jitters if he were out in the open. Instead, all Mark could see was red fabric.
In the quiet cab, Mark could hear was the sound of Jack's heartbeat near his head. It was a bit unnerving at first, what with it being so loud, but it had become comforting. It really made Mark feel like it was only him and Jack for miles around. Yep, just Jack.
The ride lasted no more than ten minutes, but it was a long ten minutes. With Mark with him he didn't initiate in any conversation, so the ride was completely silent. He would have loved to talk to Mark but that was a big no in this case. All he could do was sit back and wait for the ride to be over.
Once the driver pulled off to the side, Jack quickly paid him and hopped out. He looked around the shopping district, happy to see there weren't too many people out and about. He checked the time, seeing that he still had another hour before the package would be ready to be picked up. Just enough time to get a few things from the grocery store.
He entered the nearest one and made a beeline for the candy isle. Checking around to make sure no one was close by, Jack opened the pocket and smiled down at Mark.
"Ya want anything? Go ahead, I'm buying." Jack said with a chuckle.
"Uh, what is it?" Mark asked, looking up at Jack. Mark tried again to stand up and peer out of the pocket, but the bottom fabric proved too unstable and he ended up collapsing on his butt. Mark gave an irritated huff.
Jack chuckled and checked around one last time before sticking his hand in the pocket and scooping Mark out with a simple, fluid motion. He kept his hand close to his chest, just in case someone came in the isle unexpectedly and allowed Mark to see the rows of candy on the wall.
Mark glanced up and down the aisle, looking at nothing but sweets for what felt like miles. He glanced at the packaging. Some of the treats were clearly alien; others, Mark couldn't help but snort at the names of some candies so similar to Earth, and yet different. Stars Bars, NnN's, Holly Ranchers, Rooses Pooses, Kik Kak, and Sneakers, to name a few.
"What's that?" Mark asked, pointing to a box of what seemed to be called Septic Swirls.
Jack looked where Mark was pointing and beamed when he saw what it was. He walked over and picked it up with his free hand, looking it over.
"Man, I haven't seen these in forever! I used to love these as a kid! They're gummy candies that all look the same, a green circle with a darker green swirl, but each one has a different flavor!" He was now tempted to buy this one for himself. Just for the memories alone.
Seeing Jack's excitement, Mark knew he'd have to choose these. How could he choose anything but what clearly was one of Jack's favorite?
"Let's see if their reputation holds, up then." Mark grinned. "I'd love to try them, if you're really buying."
Jack's eyes lit up. "Awesome! You are going to love them." He went to grab another box off the shelf when he heard footsteps coming from the other end of the aisle. A quick glance to his right told him that a woman was making her way into the same aisle. Panicked and not thinking straight, the hand holding Mark wrapped around him and dove into his jeans pocket. He kept his hand there and tried to look as casual as possible as the woman came over.
Mark gasped as Jack unexpectedly grabbed him tightly and shoved him in what must have been another pocket. What was going on? Mark's heart raced as his anxiety rose, breath restricted by Jack's firm grip. Mark squirmed, hoping to get at least a little breathing room.
Jack waved at the lady with his other hand a she gave him a weird look but otherwise ignored him. She looked as though she would be in the aisle for a while so Jack took the initiative and grabbed the other box before going to one of the empty aisles in the way back. He felt Mark squirm and felt guilty as he pulled his hand out and opened it. Revealing a very disheveled looking Mark.
"I'm sorry, I panicked! Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, right?" Jack asked in concern. His one unthoughtful action could have ruined everything.
"No, I'm okay." Mark tried to fix his hair, picking some pocket lint out. "You just scared me, is all. Jeez, you've gotta give some warning or something." Mark took a few deep breaths, remembering Jack's unyielding fingers. It certainly helped remind Mark that there was nothing he could do to ever stop Jack.
Jack deflated a bit as Mark mentioned being scared. "Sorry. But I didn't really have time to warn you. That lady was walking fast!" And his panicked mind had completely forgotten to do so. His first instinct was to hide him and that was what he did. He really wasn't good under that kind of pressure.
"I know…" Mark gave a frustrated sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair a few more times in agitation. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
"No!" Jack practically yelled, but then winced at his own volume. He lowered his voice. "Don't let this one thing convince you. We've just started! I'll be better, I promise. There's still a lot I want to show you." Jack said. But if Mark wanted to go home then he would, he wouldn't like it but he didn't want to make Mark stay if he really didn't want to.
Mark covered his ears, wincing at the booming sound of Jack's voice. Talk about sensory overload. Mark had to wait for the ringing noise to subside a bit before he could respond.
"Okay, Jack." Mark said, sounding unsure even to himself. "Let's get going, then." Although truthfully, Mark was now thinking that the sooner they finished this trip, the sooner they could go home.